About

Mitchell Hamline School of Law, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a top law school for students seeking a practical legal education. Mitchell Hamline offers traditional full- and part-time programs as well as the only half on-campus/half online J.D. program at an ABA-approved law school.

Indian Law Program

875 Summit AvenueSaint Paul, MN 55105

Our Indian law courses are designed to give students a solid understanding of the theoretical framework of Indian law as well as the tools needed to put the law to work—analysis, skills, and ethics. The courses (including sequence) we recommend students take who are interested in Indian law can be found on our Indian Law Pathways page.

Courses

Federal Indian Law (3 credits)

Examines the legal relationship among Indian tribes, states, and the federal government. After providing an overview of the history of federal Indian policy from colonial times to the present, this course emphasizes civil and criminal jurisdiction in Indian country. This class is offered every fall semester.

Introduction to Tribal Law (3 credits)

Provides a broad overview of tribal legal studies. Topics include tribal governments, the history of tribal court systems, the modern day structure and operations of tribal courts, and tribal criminal and civil jurisdiction. This class is offered every spring semester.

Natural Resources Law (3 credits)

Examines the formal and informal legal regimes (tribal, state, and federal) governing the acquisition, control, exploitation, and preservation of natural resources, such as water, minerals, forest, wildlife, and wilderness. This course includes sections on hunting and fishing rights, the acquisition and development of trust lands, and other Indian natural resources issues.

Advanced Indian Law (2 credits)

This course addresses several advanced topics in Federal Indian Law that cannot be covered in the basic survey course, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and the scope and limits of state criminal jurisdiction over Indians in Minnesota (a mostly Public Law 280 state). Federal Indian Law is a prerequisite to this course. Advanced Indian Law is offered every other spring semester.

National NALSA Moot Court Competition (2 credits)

Allows students to compete in the annual moot court competition organized by the National Native American Law Student Association. This competition requires teams of students to research and prepare a written appellate brief on an Indian-law-related topic. Then, teams prepare for oral argument at the national competition. Unlike other schools, Mitchell Hamline’s NNALSA Moot Court teams are coached by full-time professors, who assist students in preparing for oral argument and travel with them to the national competition. Federal Indian Law and Advocacy are prerequisites to this course, as is the active membership in the Mitchell Hamline Native American Law Student Association. This class is offered every spring semester.

Indian Law Clinics (4-13 credits)

Mitchell Hamline currently offers two different Indian Law Clinics. One clinic focuses on drafting codes and constitutions for Indian tribes located in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Another clinic provides students with the opportunity to work on litigation for Indian tribes. The clinic’s past projects have included amicus curiae briefs to the Ninth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court in Indian law cases, as well as federal treaty rights litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin and the Seventh Circuit. Clinical opportunities are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters.

Independent Externships (2-4 credits)

Students work one-on-one with a faculty member to create a specific externship opportunity that fits students’ interests and needs. Examples include serving as law clerks to tribal judges, working in tribal legal departments and assisting nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving Indian people. Independent externship opportunities are offered during the fall, spring, and summer semesters.

Long Paper Requirement (up to 4 credits)

As a requirement for graduation all students must complete a comprehensive research paper after their first year of law school. The paper is generally required to be written under the supervision of a full-time faculty member, and up to four independent study credits can be applied for. Interested students are encouraged to write their paper on an Indian law topic.